Terrorism and drones are top concerns for maritime security companies, UN officials say

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Terrorism and the use of new technologies like weaponized drones against merchant shipping has superseded piracy as the top concern for maritime seccurity and it's up to private companies to employ specific countermeasures to neutralize such threats, United Nations officials said Friday.

Jovana Jezdimirovic Ranito and Michelle Small, members of the U.N. working group on the use of mercenaries, said maritime security companies hired to protect merchant ships sailing through high-risk areas like the Red Sea, the West Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden are ultimately responsible for figuring out which procedures and defensive armaments are required to repel any terrorism or piracy-related threat.

But those procedures and weapons use must comply with international legal standards.

''Threats are not always consistent, so they peak, ebb and flow, but you also have the rise of new ones,'' Small told The Associated Press. ''Terrorism is more of a concern for the use of new technologies in the maritime context.''

The officials were in Cyprus for the first time for a nine-day visit focusing on the use of private maritime security companies on Cyprus-flagged ships operating in high-risk sea lanes.

Cyprus has the 11th largest fleet globally and the third largest in Europe, comprising over 2,200 ocean-going vessels totaling 21 million gross tons. It's estimated that approximately 4% of the world's fleet is managed by Cyprus-based companies.

Cyprus has authorized 12 private maritime security companies to post armed security personnel aboard Cyprus-flagged ships. The U.N. officials said they met with some of these companies and were ''quite impressed'' with the level of vetting, due diligence checks and compliance needed to obtain certification.

''And they go a bit beyond what is just minimum standard we would expect,'' Ranito said. ''Really we can commend the efforts of the shipping deputy ministry on working on the extensive vetting process. ... They really invest a lot of effort in it.''

The overall number of security personnel employed by the 12 security companies is unclear, but they are from a ''range of nationalities.'' No Cypriot nationals are employed as security personnel.

The officials said they found no ''major incidents or violations'' committed by private security personnel aboard Cyprus-flagged ships, thanks to the government's ''robust standards'' and a 2012 law on the protection of Cyprus ships against acts of piracy and other unlawful acts that have become a model for other flag states.

But they said they would like to see more complaint and grievance mechanisms that sailors, private contractors and other workers in the maritime industry can utilize to strengthen accountability and root out potential human rights abuses.

The experts' final report on their Cyprus visit will be released later this year.